Career Selector

Career Selector Choice: Dermatologist

Job Description - Dermatologists are physicians who specialize in the care of skin, hair, nails, and "wet skin" areas of the body such as the mouth.
What do people in this career do?

In this career people either work with children or adults. They work in a large hospital and see patients and teach at the same time.
What skills do people in this career have?
It is important to like people for it is a social job. You will have to study many subjects along the way during school and not all of them will be directly related to dermatology. It is also important to have knowledge of skin diseases.

Working Conditions - Most dermatologists work in medical offices, sometimes in group practices with other specialists. Others spend part or all of their time in hospital consultation rooms and other medical facilities.
Where do people in this career work?

They can work in offices, hospitals, or other medical facilities.
What kind of hours do they work? Do they work days, nights, shifts, overtime, how many hours per week or day?

Generally they work a 5-day, 40 to 50 hours a week. They may occasionally work overtime or on weekends to accommodate patients' schedules.

Interview Person Name: Bernice
Day in the Life
Three important work activities this person performs during the day
1. Seeing patients and teaching at the same time.
2. Having medical students watch them as they treat a patient.
3. She writes an article on eczema for a medical journal.
Breakdown of Activities
Three activities this person spends the most time on
1. Seeing Patients
2. Teaching students
3. Writing in her journal
Likes and Dislikes
What does this person like about the job?

She likes being with people, to see about 30 to 50 children a day and their parents.
What does this person dislike about the job?

The enormous demands that can be placed on one when you're in a specialized area like she is.

What are three things that you think are good about this job?
1. The paycheck
2. Being with children and being able to help them
3. Working to find an answer to a disease, because it's kind of a detective work
What are three things you think are bad about this job?
1. You spend 12 years in school
2. You may spend a lot of time in the hospital
3. You may have to give people bad news, like telling a young person that he's got skin cancer
Could you see yourself doing this job in the future? Why or why not?

No I couldn't see myself doing this job in the future because it isn't really something I might do.